ASU Drops First Series of the Season

Andrew Gruman

04/11/2010

The 2010 Arizona State baseball team has made a lot of history this season. On Sunday, they made more, but this time it wasn't positive. With a 9-5 loss on Sunday afternoon at Bailey-Brayton Field, ASU dropped their first series to Washington St. in program history. It was also the first series loss of the season for the Sun Devils.

The Sun Devils (28-3, 6-3 Pac-10) again jumped out to a first inning lead, this time on a solo home run off the bat of Zack MacPhee. It was the third home run of the series for the sophomore second baseman and his sixth of the season.

Just like on Friday night, the lead didn't last to long.

In what is becoming an all too familiar pattern, ASU starter Jake Borup struggled in the first inning again. The sophomore now has allowed runs in the first inning of five of his last six starts.

Borup hit Garry Kuykendall to start the game and then allowed a base hit to Shea Vucinich to get the Cougars rolling.

Derek Jones made it 2-1 WSU with a double to left center and red-hot Michael Weber followed with another double to that scored Jones.

Matt Argyropoulos added a sacrifice fly later in the inning and the Cougars had hung a four spot on Borup in the first.

Deven Marrero got one of those runs back in the second inning by hitting his second home run of the season to left field.

Borup worked a scoreless second inning, but eventually was chased in the third. A hit batsman and a walk put the first two runners on and after a sacrifice bunt, ASU coach Tim Esmay turned to Mitchell Lambson out of the bullpen.

Ryan Peterson made it 5-2 with an RBI groundout, but Lambson got out of the inning with no further damage.

The Sun Devils got right back in the game in the fourth, but didn't fully capitalized on a chance to tie the game.

Zach Wilson and Andrew Aplin both singled to start the inning and were bunted up to second and third by Marrero.

Raoul Torrez made Esmay's decision to bunt look wise when he singled back up the middle to score both runners and cut WSU's lead to 5-4.

Austin Barnes followed with a base hit that sent Torrez all the way to third with just one out, but Drew Maggi couldn't get the tying run home from third as he struck out and MacPhee grounded out to end the threat.

Lambson kept the Cougars held down, but ASU went quietly in each of the next two innings, before WSU added insurance in the sixth.

Argyropoulos led off the inning with a solo blast to center and Peterson followed with a double. ASU did retire Peterson at third on a bunt by Paul Clingan, but the Cougars eventually loaded the bases on back to back singles.

A wild pitch by Lambson allowed a run to score and a pinch hit single by Matt Fanelli plated another and made it 8-4.

The Cougars (17-11, 3-3) added another run in the eighth to take a five run lead into the ninth inning.

ASU looked to have a comeback attempt in them in the ninth, starting the frame with three straight base hits, but a fly out and a double play ended any chance of a rally.

Borup took the loss and fell to 6-1 on the season, allowing five runs in 2 1/3 innings. Lambson went 3 2/3 innings and allowed three runs, while Brady Rodgers and Jimmy Patterson closed out the game on the mound.

The Sun Devils pounded out 14 hits, but only could push five runs across the plate. Kole Calhoun finished 4-5 and Maggi, MacPhee and Wilson each added two hits.

ASU will have the week off this upcoming week, before returning home to Packard Stadium to host last place USC for a three game series starting on Friday evening.